The structure etc. of a tablet dispensing apparatus as a typical example of a medicine dispensing apparatus according to the related art will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10a is a perspective view showing the appearance of a tablet dispensing apparatus 10 according to the related art as seen from the left front. FIG. 10b is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the tablet dispensing apparatus 10. FIG. 10c is a perspective view showing the appearance of the tablet dispensing apparatus 10 as seen from the left front. FIG. 10d is a left side view of another tablet dispensing apparatus 20 according to the related art including a manual medicine dispenser (21, 22).
The tablet dispensing apparatus 10 shown in FIGS. 10a to 10c are not provided with a manual medicine dispenser. This type of tablet dispensing apparatus is disclosed in JP 2005-192702 A (Patent Document 1) and JP 2006-109860 A (Patent Document 2), for example. The tablet dispensing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 10d is obtained by integrating the tablet dispensing apparatus 10 with the manual medicine dispenser (21, 22). This type of tablet dispensing apparatus is disclosed in JP 2007-209600 A (Patent Document 3), for example.
The tablet dispensing apparatus 10 with no manual medicine dispenser includes a plurality of medicine feeders 13, a medicine collecting structure (14, 15), a packing device 17, and a controller 18 (control device). The plurality of medicine feeders 13 store various types of medicines 1 such as tablets such as pills and capsules separately according to their types. The medicine collecting structure (14, 15) collects the plurality of medicines 1 discharged from the medicine feeders 13. The packing device 17 packs the plurality of medicines 1 received from the medicine collecting structure (14, 15). The controller 18 (control device) constituted from a microprocessor system etc. outputs a control command to the plurality of medicine feeders 13 and the packing device 17. The controller 18 receives prescription data, pharmaceutical indication data, or the like and provides a control command to a medicine feeder 13 storing the medicines indicated by the received data to cause the medicine feeder 13 to discharge a necessary number of medicines 1. The medicines 1 discharged from the medicine feeder 13 are collected by the medicine collecting structure (14, 15), and fed into a medicine entry port 16 (collected medicine entry port) located therebelow. The controller 18 provided a control command to the packing device 17 to cause the packing device 17 to separate the medicines fed into the medicine entry port 16 by the dosing unit or the administering unit. The packing device 17 charges the medicines separated by the dosing unit or the administering unit into pockets separately formed between two packing strips 2 (dispensing paper), and thereafter tightly seals an opening portion of the pockets.
More particularly, a medicine storage 11 is provided in the upper space in a housing 10A of the tablet dispensing apparatus 10, and the packing device 17 is provided in the lower space therein the housing 10A. Medicine guide assemblies 14 and a medicine collecting assembly 15 serving as the medicine collecting structure are disposed in the housing between the medicine storage 11 and the packing device 17. The medicine storage 11 includes a plurality of individually slidable medicine feeder storing units 12 (medicine storage spaces) disposed side by side with each other. The medicine feeder storing units 12 each include a medicine feeder storing case 12A, and several to several tens of removable medicine feeders 13 stored inside the medicine feeder storing case 12A and arranged vertically and horizontally.
The medicine feeders 13 each include a medicine cassette and a base portion. The medicine cassette houses a large number of medicines 1 to discharge the medicines. The base portion removably supports the medicine cassette, and performs driving operation for discharging the medicines from the medicine cassette. The medicine feeders 13 are each configured to discharge a number of medicines 1, the number being specified by the controller 18, to feed the medicines 1 into the medicine guide assembly 14.
The medicine guide assemblies 14 known in the art each include a guide tube such as a duct disposed vertically, and a plurality of extended tubes configured to communicate with respective discharge ports of the plurality of medicine feeders 13. The medicine guide assembly 14 is provided for each medicine feeder storing unit 12, and drawn out of the housing 10A together with the medicine feeder storing unit 12. In FIG. 10b, in order to simplify the illustration, a common medicine guide assembly 14 is depicted to be provided for two medicine feeder storing units 12. In FIG. 10c, the medicine guide assemblies 14 are not shown.
The medicine feeder storing units 12 are each configured such that the medicine guide assembly 14 and the medicine feeders 13 can be drawn forward together with the medicine feeder storing case 12A by horizontally sliding the medicine feeder storing unit 12 forward of the housing 10A.
The medicine collecting assembly 15 is constituted from a relatively large hopper-shaped member or funnel-shaped member. The medicine collecting assembly 15 is installed in a space in the housing 10A below the medicine storage 11 to be positioned above the packing device 17. The upper opening of the medicine collecting assembly 15 opens to be wide enough to face the respective lower ends of all the medicine guide assemblies 14. The lower opening of the medicine collecting assembly 15 is tapered toward the medicine entry port 16 of the packing device 17. As a result, all the medicines 1 guided by any medicine guide assembly 14 are collected by the lower opening of the medicine collecting assembly 15 to be fed into the packing device 17. Thus, the medicine collecting assembly 15 forms a common guide passage leading from all the medicine guide assemblies 14 to the packing device 17.
A pharmaceutical indication based on specifications in a prescription or the like indicating the dose, directions for use, etc. is input by operating an operation panel 19 or from an appropriate input device or prescription ordering system (not shown). The tablet dispensing apparatus 10 discharges the medicines 1 from one or more medicine feeders 13 specified by a command from the controller 18 which has received the input pharmaceutical indication. The discharged medicines 1 are dropped into the medicine collecting assembly 15 via the medicine guide assemblies 14 and gathered by the medicine collecting assembly 15 to be put into the medicine entry port 16 of the packing device 17 from the lower exit port of the medicine collecting assembly 15. The medicines 1 fed by way of such a medicine collecting path are packed between two packing strips 2 by the packing device 17. The packing device 17 feeds the two packing strips 2, by a predetermined length at a time, and partially heat-seals the two packing strips 2 to form a medicine storing pocket. After putting the medicines into the medicine storing pocket, the packing device 17 closes the rear opening portion of the medicine storing pocket by heat sealing to separately pack the medicines. In thus automatically separately packing the medicines, the medicines 1 are supplied from appropriate medicine feeders 13 to the packing device 17 by way of the medicine collecting structure (14, 15), one or a plurality of the medicines 1 at a time.
FIG. 10d shows a schematic configuration of the tablet dispensing apparatus 20 with a manual medicine dispenser described in JP 2007-209600 A (Patent Document 3). As discussed above, the tablet dispensing apparatus 20 is obtained by integrating the tablet dispensing apparatus 10 with the manual medicine dispenser (21, 22). The manual medicine dispenser (21, 22) includes a preliminary dispersing portion 21 of a cassette type, for example, and an operating portion 22 of a conveyor type, for example. A large number of sectioned chambers are formed in the preliminary dispersing portion 21 in a vertical and horizontal arrangement. The upper side of each sectioned chamber is open to allow input of the medicines. The lower surface or the bottom surface of each sectioned chamber is formed from a shutter or the like to open and close to allow discharge of the medicines. The preliminary dispersing portion 21 can be drawn out of the housing of the tablet dispensing apparatus 20 to allow manually dispersion of the medicines into the sectioned chambers. While the medicines are manually put into the preliminary dispersing portion 21, the operating portion 22 automatically discharges the medicines. Specifically, the operating portion 22 is provided in the housing of the medicine dispensing apparatus 20 below the preliminary dispersing portion 21 pushed into the housing. The operating portion 22 is configured to receive the medicines 1 discharged from the sectioned chambers of the preliminary dispersing portion 21, and to feed the received medicines 1 into the packing device 17 via the medicine collecting assembly 15, by an amount corresponding to one sectioned chamber at a time.
Finally, the structure of a tablet dispensing apparatus 30 described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-049924 (currently not published) filed by the applicant will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In the tablet dispensing apparatus 30, not only a manual tablet dispenser 21+22 but also a temporary storage structure 31 is integrated in the housing. FIG. 11a is a perspective view showing the appearance of the tablet dispensing apparatus 30 as seen from the left front with all the tablet feeder storing units 12 and the temporary storage structure 31 pushed into the housing 10A. FIG. 11b is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the tablet dispensing apparatus 30. FIG. 11c is a perspective view showing the appearance of the tablet dispensing apparatus 30 as seen from the left front with one of the tablet feeder storing units 12 and the temporary storage structure 31 drawn out of the housing.
The temporary storage structure 31 is provided as an intermediate layer between the medicine guide assemblies 14 and the manual tablet dispenser 21+22 provided thereabove and the medicine collecting assembly 15 provided therebelow. The temporary storage structure 31 temporarily retains the medicines (tablets) 1 discharged from the tablet feeders 13 and dropped as guided by the medicine collecting structure 14 provided thereabove, and releases the medicines 1 at an appropriate timing to drop the medicines 1 into the medicine collecting assembly 15. Temporarily storing the medicines resolves the difference in discharge timing among the tablet feeders 13 and hence variations in fall start timing, and resolves the difference in fall path length among the medicine guide assemblies 14 and hence variations in timing when the medicines (tablets) 1 are collected due to variations in fall duration. Consequently, the medicines 1 corresponding to one pack are collectively dropped at a time into the medicine collecting assembly 15, thereby reducing the time for which the packing device 17 waits for input and contributing to speeding up of tablet packing.
The temporary storage device 31 includes as its main members a tubular member and an open-close member. The tubular member has a hollow space extending in the up-down direction or the vertical direction. The open-close member opens and closes the hollow space. In a type of temporary storage device 31, the tubular members and the open-close members are disposed in a planar matrix to correspond to the medicine guide assemblies 14 disposed in a planar matrix. In another type of temporary storage device 31, one temporary storage structure 32 is disposed for one column of the medicine guide assemblies 14. In the temporary storage device 31 of the tablet dispensing apparatus 30 shown, a plurality of the latter temporary storage structures 32 are arranged in columns. In order to open and close the open-close mechanisms for the plurality of temporary storage structures 32 at the same time, the temporary storage device 31 is also provided with a simultaneous driving mechanism 33 coupled to the temporary storage structures 32 from one end side to drive operation of the open-close mechanisms.
In the medicine dispensing apparatus according to the related art, it is occasionally necessary to remove and prevent contamination due to scattering or adhesion of the medicines. Thus, some medicine dispensing apparatuses according to the related art include a dust remover or a suction discharge device installed at an appropriate location. Providing such a dust remover or suction discharge purifying device is common to powder medicine dispensing apparatuses. As described in JP 2004-148036 A (Patent Document 4), a tablet cutting mechanism is integrated in some tablet dispensing apparatuses (see Patent Document 4, for example).